Consumers Can Now ‘Follow’ Their Favorite Businesses within Google Maps App

Yesterday, Google Maps released two updates to its app that will help consumers stay updated and informed on what’s happening at their favorite local businesses. According to Google:

With more than 150 million places on Google Maps and millions of people looking for places to go, we made two updates so it’s even easier for you to keep up with the places you care about and find out about places coming soon.

App users (on Android only, for now) can “follow” these businesses and receive relevant updates from them, including events, sales, offers and more. The news will appear under a “For you” tab within the app.

Additionally, new businesses can create GMB profiles and provide updates that users can see up to 3 months prior to their opening. The business’s open date will appear in orange on the GMB page.

Earlier this month, Google Maps announced that it was releasing a new app feature that would allow groups of any size to provide preferences on where to eat by adding them to a shortlist. From there, users would be able to add, remove or vote on their favorite places.

The company has released several “social” features like this one over the last few months, all intended to “match” or provide suggestions for users with regards to local restaurants, events and other various activities that complement past preferences and visited spots.

These various updates highlight the company’s continued pledge to connect consumers with local businesses and help foster relationships between the two.